Joke About #MeToo Prompts Miss Massachusetts Contestant to Resign

She left the pageant and resigned her crown.

Maude Gorman, a contestant at the Miss Massachusetts pageant, resigned from the competition after an emcee joked about the #MeToo movement. Maude, who was Miss Massachusetts World in 2015 and who was competing in this year's pageant as Miss Plymouth County 2018, resigned her latest crown following an onstage skit, according to CNN, which came in response to the pageant’s removal of the swimsuit competition.

A video of the skit reported by The Observer shows a woman kneeling on a chair, saying, “We may have very well seen the last ever swimsuit competition onstage. It’s very upsetting, and I’m trying to understand, God, why it happened.” Moments later a man responds “Me too, Amy” while holding up a #MeToo sign, followed by a slew of laughter from the audience.

Maude, who said she is a survivor of sexual assault after being gang-raped at age 13, submitted her resignation letter after the pageant and spoke out on Instagram about her decision.

"Today, I officially resigned from the title of Miss Plymouth County 2018. While I’m grateful for the opportunities that @missamerica creates for young women, I am also internally conflicted; as the #metoo movement was mocked on stage during the final competition of Miss Massachusetts," she wrote. "As both a survivor, and advocate for victims rights and sexual violence on a whole, I refuse to stand idly by and simply “let this go”. Instead, I will stand up for every individual who has ever had the courage to speak out; and for every person who felt liberated by the #metoo movement. I will not allow ANYONE to take away that empowerment and liberation, or make it anything less than what it is: AMAZING. #metoo #missplymouthcounty #nomore #rainn #surviveandthrive."

In an interview with the Boston Globe, Maude said the joke making light of such an important movement “was heartbreaking to hear,” continuing, “in that moment everything collapsed right in front of me.”

After her resignation, Maude told CNN she likely won't return to the pageant world.

"I am done with pageants. I don't see myself competing again," she said. "I am happy with leaving the pageant world behind me."

The Miss Massachusetts Board of Directors issued an apology on their personal Facebook page.

"The Miss Massachusetts Board of Directors offers our sincere and heartfelt apology for those offended by Saturday night's skit. The skit was not in the script and was not authorized by the board," the statement said. "Moving forward, we will review all content with future emcees and other participants prior to our show to be sure offensive or potentially offensive content is not allowed."